Inspired by Hal’s post here, when have you had one of those moments where you realize two or more memorable roles (or better yet, bit parts) are played by the same person?
For me, I was proud to recognize that the guy who played the big dumb jock in Roxanne was the same guy that rode the police bicycle in Pacific Blue, and then was the guy who was all set to marry Julianna Margulies at the beginning of ER before being stood up at the altar: Rick Rossovich.
Actually, I felt almost stupid when I finally realized that Mitzi from Priscilla queen of the desert was agent Smith from the matrix and also Elrond from LOTR. Loved all those movies, loved his work in each, had no freaking clue for the longest time that it was the same guy.
It was weird when I realized that the Vulcan woman from Star Trek VI was Kim Cattrall, of Sex and the City fame. (She’s been in lots of other stuff, too, but that was the weird one.)
I just recently realized that “Van” from The Last Days of Disco (the guy with the accent) and the “Flock of Seagulls” guy in Pulp Fiction were both played by Burr Steers.
It was only afterwards that I realised that Kevin Kline played Chief Inspector Dreyfuss in the 2006 version of The Pink Panther. He’s a bit like Alec Guiness, in his ability to submerge his identity into a movie role.
For me, it was reconciling Guy Pearce from Priscilla and him in LA Confidential.
Oh, and I was so riveted by the Pakistan guy in *My Beautiful Laundrette * that I didn’t realize for years that Daniel Day-Lewis was the hot edgy blond guy.
David Strathairn. Saw him in Return of the Secaucus Seven, Brother from Another Planet, Matewan, and the TV series The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd. It was only when I saw Eight Men Out that I thought, “I’ve seen this guy somewhere.” I felt pretty silly when I realized that I’d seen him everywhere!
Well, I was pretty proud of myself when I figured out that the guy who played Spencer on Spin City was the same guy who played Ferris Bueller’s sidekick Cameron.
The third or fourth time I watched the first season West Wing episode about the death penalty, I realized that Toby’s rabbi was one of the guys who kidnapped Stanley in UHF. (David Proval)
And he was the voice of Rex the dog in the movie Babe. Now I can’t watch the movie (one of my kids’ faves) without seeing the sheepdog but hearing Agent Smith…
I was watching Major League on cable last weekend, and it finally dawned on me that the Voodoo practicing, Jobu offering Cuban guy in the film is Dennis Haysbert, or as I yelled out to the TV, “Holy shit, that’s David Palmer!” (The recently departed president on 24).
My most triumphant moment with this is still when I realized that the lead alien in Galaxy Quest is the balding photographer guy from that David Spade/Laura Sangiacomo sitcom the name of which I seem to have blacked out from my brain.
David Krumholtz in The Santa Claus same guy who was the guy who killed that cute little blonde intern on ER that same year and also the love crazed doorman from Sidewalks of New York.
Funny thing is I saw these three items in reverse order from when they were released.
I saw an episode of Jeeves and Wooster for the first time a week or two ago, and I turned to my wife and said “That guy (points to guy playing Wooster), should I recognize him?”
She just stared at me for a second. “That’s Hugh Laurie. From House.” Apparently, famous British actors occasionally can be seen in old British television series, who knew?
